A TEENAGER accused of the murder of a 14-year-old told a friend shortly after stabbing the youth that “he deserved it”.
At the Central Criminal Court in Ennis, Co Clare, yesterday, Dublin teenager Kate McDaid said that in a phone conversation with John McGovern, he admitted stabbing a Traveller, Michael Doherty.
Mr McGovern (19), of Ballyduff, Barefield, Ennis, denies the murder of Michael Doherty, of Ashline, Ennis, at O’Connell Street, Ennis, on June 23rd, 2007.
Ms McDaid said Mr McGovern phoned her 20 minutes after the fight. She told the court that she asked Mr McGovern did he stab the teenager and he admitted that he did.
On the third day of the trial, she told the jury that Mr McGovern told her “he was a knacker, he deserved it”.
Ms McDaid said: “I told him ‘no one deserves that’ and I gave out to him. I asked him why he had a knife and he told me ‘I don’t know, I better go. I’ll talk to you later’.”
Patrick Gageby SC, defending, said there will be evidence that Mr McGovern was later crying and hysterical.
Ms McDaid said: “I wouldn’t say he was crying. He still sounded angry. He couldn’t believe what happened. He was hesitating and was speechless when talking.”
Ms McDaid said that earlier outside Supermacs restaurant on O’Connell Street, Michael Doherty told the accused: “If you give me cheek, I’ll break your neck.”
She said Mr McGovern asked: “How am I giving you cheek?” and a friend of Michael Doherty said: “Do you know who you’re messing with?”
Ms McDaid said the accused said to Michael Doherty “Go on, hit me, hit me” and the youth punched him three or four times and gave him a bloody nose.
A friend of Ms McDaid’s, Aoife Fogarty, said she saw a knife in the defendant’s hand. She said that she did not see Mr McGovern strike Michael Doherty but saw the 14-year old stumble backwards and fall to the ground.
Conor Eccles, an eyewitness and friend of the defendant, said he saw a knife in Mr McGovern’s right hand.
John McDonagh, a “far-out” cousin of the youth, said Mr McGovern called Michael Doherty ”a knacker” in the lead-up to the fight. Asked by Mr Gageby if he had any previous convictions that involved dishonesty or possession of a knife, Mr McDonagh said: “Any previous convictions are not relevant to this trial.”
The trial before Mr Justice Paul Carney continues today.